Combining reactive materials (RM) with water may produce shock energy and bubble energy. The chemical energy of an underwater explosion may be distributed into shock and bubble performance, as well as waste energy. The shock and the bubble produced by an underwater explosion may each contribute to the performance of the explosive event. A shock wave may initiate the decomposition of a high energy explosive, causing a release of gases and energy. The release of gases and energy may initiate the chemical decomposition of an oxidizer into a gas that drives the early expansion of a bubble.
Subsequently, the energy released from the fuel reacting with the product gases may be generally slow and may contribute to the bubble performance. If the expanding mixture is heavy in solids, the conversion of the chemical energy to potential energy of the bubble may be inefficient and may lead to waste energy in the form of hot gases at the end of the bubble expansion. If the expanding mixture is mostly gases, then the peak pressure may be high, but the shock wave may only be supported for a short time and, the energy from gas-producing reactions may be generally less than the energy from fuel-oxidizer reactions.
The conversion of chemical energy to potential energy of a bubble may be generally very efficient, leaving no waste energy in the form of hot gases at the end of the bubble expansion. Thus, increasing the energy release from intimate fuel-oxidizer (RM/H2O) combinations early in the bubble expansion process may increase the rate of oxidizer decomposition and, therefore, the shock performance. The rapid, early time-frame bubble expansion may generate a shock wave out into the water. The shock wave may very quickly outpace the expanding bubble. Enhanced shock performance may result from increasing the early time-frame rate of bubble expansion and sustaining the rate of bubble expansion as long as possible.